The technological, regulatory, and economic landscape related to plastic use and recycling is rapidly changing. Increased use of plastics and stagnated recycling rates are driving concern about pollution, but also presents an opportunity to highlight waste streams and drive reduction of emissions of the U.S. economy.
On June 8-9, 2023, in Seattle, WA, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) hosted Transitioning to a Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics, a workshop to convene stakeholders for a discussion of the current challenges and opportunities in transitioning to reuse and recycling for plastics in the United States.
OVERVIEW
Worldwide attention on plastic pollution is leading to a changing regulatory environment for plastics. Recent governance includes the United Nations Plastic Pollution Treaty negotiations, introduction to recycled content requirements and the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in different locations, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Recycling Strategy. Recent advances in recycling processes from sorting to innovative recycling technologies are being launched at pilot and commercial scales. In the wake of China's National Sword policy in 2018, most export of recycled plastics from the U.S. stopped. Shifting U.S. markets for recycled plastics are creating a demand for technology advances. Additionally, many companies have announced climate goals which include targets related to recycled content, plastic sustainability, and greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving changes in this dynamic landscape.
These societal and technological changes will impact material selection, product design, and end-of-life for plastics. The huge variety of potential feedstocks, plastics, applications, and end-of-life pathways (different recycling technologies, composting, biodegradation, landfilling) makes reuse and recycling for plastics particularly challenging.
The focus of this workshop was to understand which metrics are being used to inform decisions related to plastic sustainability and circularity, as well as what technological gaps exist along the supply chain that would facilitate a more rapid transition from a linear plastic economy. These insights were used to identify opportunities where funding in research and development can most rapidly reduce emissions and build energy security.
Workshop Goals/Objectives:
- Assess the current landscape of plastic sustainability and circularity in the United States
- Identify metrics that companies are using to assess plastic sustainability and circularity, along with selection drivers
- Establish supply chain and technology gaps currently limiting transition to a circular plastic economy
- Identify opportunities for emissions reduction with respect to plastics and pathways to achieve them
- Facilitate collaboration across the entire value chain to accelerate transition to more reuse and recycling for plastics
Desired Workshop Outcomes
- Direct connections between stakeholders across the value chain to facilitate collaborations to accelerate innovation towards our collective emissions reduction and recycling goals
- A publicly available, DOE-issued workshop report recording the discussed problems, research ideas, and industry feedback
- Input to ensure the DOE Strategy for Plastic Innovation evolves with the rapidly changing landscape to reflect current needs and challenges related to plastic sustainability and circularity
AGENDA
Download the agenda for this workshop.
SPEAKER BIOS
View the speaker bios for this workshop.
PRESENTATIONS
Day 1 Presentations
| PRESENTATION TITLE | SPEAKER | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome and Workshop Introductions | Coralie Backlund | BETO |
| Session 1: Sustainability & Circularity for Plastics | ||
| Department of Energy’s Evolving Interests in Plastic Circularity | Kathryn Peretti | AMMTO |
| Changing Landscape for Plastics: International Policy Perspective | Erica Nuñez | The Ocean Foundation |
| Ambitions and Challenges in Delivering on Plastics and Waste Commitments | Nicholas Vijverman | Ellen MacArthur Foundation |
| Session 2: Plastic Recycling – A Changing Landscape | ||
| Current State of Plastic Recycling in the U.S. | Nina Bellucci Butler | Stina |
| Biomass Feedstock National User Facility Capabilities for Plastic Processing and Recycling | Vicki Thompson | Biomass Feedstock National User Facility |
| Molecular Recycling | Bridget Croke | Closed Loop Partners |
| Plastics recycling and design in the BOTTTLE Consortium | Gregg Beckham | National Renewable Energy Laboratory/BOTTLE |
| Plastic Recycling Challenges and Improvements – talks from the field | David Allaway | Oregon DEQ |
Day 2 Presentations
| PRESENTATION TITLE | SPEAKER | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Talks: Perspectives from Polymer Scientists | ||
| A Working Backwards Approach to Plastics | Alan Jacobsen | Amazon |
| What polymers are best for packaging from a holistic sustainability perspective and technologies are needed to scale them? | Jun Wang | Colgate |
| The confusion around biodegradability | Jason Locklin | University of Georgia |
| Benefits and risks of new polymers in the current and future recycling system | Taylor Uekert | National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
| Which plastics can easily/reasonably be replaced with biodegradable plastics? | Andrea Kasko | University of California, Los Angeles |
WORKSHOP SUMMARY REPORT
Download the workshop summary report.
CONFERENCE VENUE
The workshop took place in-person in Seattle, WA, at the Westin Seattle, June 8-9, 2023.
CONTACT
Please direct any questions regarding this workshop to Coralie Backlund (Coralie.Backlund@ee.doe.gov), Jay Fitzgerald (Jay.Fitzgerald@ee.doe.gov), Kathryn Peretti (Kathryn.Peretti@ee.doe.gov) or Michelle Seitz (Michelle.Seitz@ee.doe.gov).